


Cold

by fluffynarwhal



Series: Theo/Liam Chronicles [2]
Category: Teen Wolf (TV)
Genre: Cuddles, M/M, Witches, full shift theo but it’s never specifically seen, liam needs a cuddle, sterek is mentioned but it’s still there
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-01-20
Updated: 2020-01-20
Packaged: 2021-02-27 13:06:49
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,194
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22327558
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/fluffynarwhal/pseuds/fluffynarwhal
Summary: So, there’s a witch. A weirdly attractive, evil woman who makes the life of the pack a living hell. She’s vindictive and petty and will not fucking leave Beacon Hills.
Relationships: Derek Hale/Stiles Stilinski, Liam Dunbar/Theo Raeken
Series: Theo/Liam Chronicles [2]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1453987
Comments: 4
Kudos: 72





	Cold

**Author's Note:**

> here's just a small little thing i wrote in one night. 
> 
> enjoy xx
> 
> EDIT AS OF APRIL 4TH, 2020: so i went back and read over this and edited it a bit. there's some new stuff, some tied up loose ends, and just general beta-ing.

It’s cold.

It’s cold and Liam is grumpy and he’s 97% positive there’s a deep gash on the inside of his thigh, just below the divot of his hip. Oh, and he’s completely sure his jaw is dislocated. Liam’s arms are cradling his middle at the pain blooming there, snarling as each shallow breath he takes, his lungs feel like they’re going to explode. There’s a growl somewhere in the distance but he can’t figure out whether it’s Derek, Malia, or Theo.

To be fair, Liam can’t hear the pack much anymore, and he can barely pick up their scents from where he’s laying against the hard ground.

And it’s cold and Liam’s craving more sugar.

Liam would give anything to have a blanket right about now. Or a cuddle. Or both.

So, there’s a witch. A weirdly attractive, evil woman who makes the life of the pack a living hell. She’s vindictive and petty and will not fucking leave Beacon Hills.

Why is he so pissed, you might ask? Well, Liam’s a bit miffed that he wasn’t included in the planning process to get her gone, number one. But more than that, he’s absolutely livid that his own fucking pack just left him behind while they went to fight heroic fights to get rid of her.

Listen, it’s one thing to keep someone out of the loop for the next move to destroy the stupid bitch, but they just –

Those bastards just left him in the dirt, in the midst of animal carcasses, wounded, and in the fucking cold.

And _Theo_ , Liam thinks bitterly, is going to be sleeping on the couch for the foreseeable future with nothing but a couch cushion for a pillow and a washcloth for a blanket.

Finding the witch had been Corey’s doing, the sneaky shit. He found her speaking a different tongue out on the old Hale property with an animal held over her head in one hand, and a knife in the other. Corey couldn’t understand what she was saying, but he knew as soon as she….put the animal out of its misery, it couldn’t be good. He must have tipped her off, because when he finally made it back to town, he flung himself through the door at Derek’s home, bloodied and bruised, with a message for the alpha.

That was the day Liam likes to refer to as, The Day Mason Went Crazy.

After the pack became aware of the witch’s presence, Derek and Scott began calling neighbouring packs that might have some information, Liam and Mason spent hours at the library looking into witches and spells, Stiles found himself cornering Deaton whenever he could to get details out of him, and Corey, still slightly shaken up, wrote down everything he could remember about his interaction with the witch, no matter how insignificant.

With the pack stuck doing everything in their power to come up with the next move, strange things began to happen in town. Flowers began sprouting in cemeteries, only surrounding the graves of criminals and other generally vile people. Derek found himself waking up in the middle of the night, screaming, from awful night terrors, waking up the pack with his fearful howls. Scott’s alpha powers began dwindling, causing the entire pack to suffer. Theo spent at least four hours a day wrapped in one of Liam’s hoodies, blankets across his legs, and Derek’s full shift form draped around him while he shivered uncontrollably from an invisible freeze that only he could feel. Liam and Corey craved the taste of pure sugar – meaning the pack (mostly Theo or Mason) would find them cradling bags of sugar in their laps while they ate it on the kitchen floor like nicotine addicts who feigned for a cigarette.

It was all bubbling up to something bigger, something more terrifying. That thought alone was difficult to deal with, let alone trying to keep Scott out of harm’s way in case he was injured, making sure Derek knew the difference in what was real and what wasn’t, keeping Theo warm at all times, and steering Liam and Corey away from sugar. Basically, it was a fucking mess that no one was prepared for, at all.

The breaking point was when Theo was called because a store clerk caught Liam eating pure sugar without paying for it. Theo let everyone else know and went to pick the boy up, finding him in the middle of the grocery store with six bags of sugar surrounding him. while shoving two handfuls in his mouth. He calmly helped Liam to his feet with a quiet, “Come on, sugar,” and paid for the items, taking Liam home for a shower, and calling a pack meeting.

_Come on, sugar_? Seriously? It wasn't even a good joke. 

“We could also just kill her and get it over with,” Liam said during one of the pack meetings, angrily chomping on pure sugar sticks with Corey by his side.

“If we do that, we can’t reverse her spells, Liam. Do you want to keep eating those things for the rest of your life?” Theo sniped from the other side of the room, trying to keep his tone calm as he motioned to Liam's hands. Liam glared at him for three hours, and once they got home, huffed past him to their bedroom.

Stiles, being the conniving little bastard he is, decided to go by himself to try and backhand her, using whatever magic that’s holed up in his body against her. Essentially, he would work his spark in a way that would undo the spell she put on the Hale property and force it onto her.

That attempt did not go as planned, obviously. Instead, Stiles sustained a concussion and a very long talk with Derek about his safety.

There were two more attempts in getting the witch to reverse the spells, in which took Mason to the ER for a sprained wrist, and forcing Scott to stand down completely, in fear that his powers would dissolve into nothing.

Liam was getting more anxious as the weeks went by. He slept no more than three hours a night, drank too much coffee for a man his size, and ate nearly every piece of sugar he could find. Theo, who would find him in the morning hunched over a cup of coffee and angrily glaring at books in front of him, always made sure to touch him just a bit when his heart rate spiked, cuddle him extra hard at night, and kiss him once more than he usually does when they part ways. He could sense the worry embedded deep in Liam’s soul, could smell the way it fanned off his body in waves that made his nose itch. There was nothing that Theo wanted more than to make Liam’s worries calm, but to do that, they’d need a plan – and a fucking good one.

It wasn’t even a good one; it was fucking stupid.

Let’s be real here – using an unsuspecting pack member as bait to distract the witch, while _literally everyone_ else goes in to trap her? Yeah, it’s fucking dumb.

Guess who they used as bait.

Liam hates everyone.

Well, honestly, it was going quite well until the witch caught on to what was happening and took off. Before she did, however, she turned to Liam and angled a dagger – seriously, who the fuck carries daggers? – at Liam’s leg and sliced a pretty little ‘flesh wound’ into his thigh, way too close to his (and Theo’s) favourite attributes. She then chanted something under her breath in another language. The spell she casted forced the pack back by at least ten feet and pushed Liam into the air and down on his back in a heap.

Liam assumes that with the force of the spell, he broke his jaw when he hit the ground. His hands survey his body to check for any other injuries he hasn’t found yet. Liam snarls around the pain and turns himself on the opposite side of the cut on his thigh. The gash is closing, albeit slowly, but he’s healing nonetheless. He grips his jaw and quickly slides it back in place, ignoring the gut wrenching _click_ sound that makes him see white. Another quick check over his body shows no other damage besides the frostbite he’s probably getting on the tip of his nose and the ends of his fingers, along with the mouth-watering hunger for sugar sticks.

It takes ten more minutes of Liam laying on his stomach and praying for some relief before he feels a break over his body. His mouth waters for just a moment longer and then it’s gone, a release of all the stresses and anxieties he’s been feeling falling away from his body. Liam’s stomach turns with the plethora of sugar he’s consumed, but he’d take that over the addictive thoughts any day of the week.

A minute later, Liam starts to hear quick, panicked footfalls closing in. He turns his head just in time to see Theo burst through the trees like Bjorn Ironside bursting through his fake casket in Paris. He’s not wolfed out anymore, but completely naked and sprinting to Liam like his life depends on it.

And it does, if it’s up to Liam.

“He’s over here!” Theo shouts, dropping to his knees next to Liam and running his hands across his body to check for wounds. “They got her to reverse all the spells,” he says frantically. “Can I do anything? Are you in pain?”

Liam snorts and grabs Theo’s hands, shaking his head and taking a steady breath. “We’re going to have a very long discussion about using me as an unsuspecting bait piece.”

Theo pales above him, mouth opening and closing once, twice before he snaps it shut and nods like he just lost a fight. Liam doesn’t comment further. Instead, he lets Theo turn him back over and help him to his feet. Once standing, Liam takes a deep breath before pulling Theo against him, burying his nose into his boyfriend’s neck, letting his warmth surround him like a fluffy blanket. He can feel Theo’s hands against him, draining his pain away.

“Don’t ever fucking do that to me again,” Liam says, kissing the boy’s skin.

Theo sighs and hugs him closer, wrapping both arms around Liam’s shoulders, steadying him. “Never,” Theo promises. “I’m so – “

“Not a fucking word or I’ll make you sleep outside.”

Theo’s throat clicks as he swallows, nodding. “I love you,” Theo whispers.

“I love you too, asshole.” 

The two of them stand there for a moment longer, breathing each other’s scents and being happily wrapped within themselves. Before Liam actually gets a chance to ask if Theo is okay or give him a fucking kiss, Scott and Stiles finally pop up out of the trees.

“Fucking – Theo, what the fuck, dude?” Stiles hisses as he fakes an awful sounding gag.

“You couldn’t have waited until we got back to the cabin before shifting back?” Scott asks, resigned and unimpressed.

Liam begins to unfold himself from Theo’s grasp to punch one of them – possibly both – when he realizes that –

Oh.

_Oh._

Theo’s still naked.

Liam sighs and strips off his shirt, handing what’s left of the ripped fabric over to Theo who covers his junk with a pout. “Don’t give me that face. I’m still mad at you and I’m cold and now I’m shirtless,” he gripes. Theo doesn’t say anything in response, just simply drops his head in defeat and begins walking back to the trail that leads to the cabin.

Liam sets his shoulders after he loses sight of his boy, turning to Scott and Stiles angrily. “And you two fuckers – “

“Oh, chill out, puppy. You didn’t get killed so I’d say that’s a job well done,” Stiles says, grinning widely.

Scott punches him in the arm and approaches Liam, looking guiltier than when he and Mason accidentally turned Derek blue that one time. “It wasn’t his fault,” the alpha begins, trying to placate him. “If it were up to him, he wouldn’t have even included you for this plan.”

Liam snorts and begins walking, following a similar trail as Theo had just before. “So, what? Just because you’re alpha, that doesn’t give you the right to put my life on the line.”

Scott and Stiles keep up with him, too closely probably. “He didn’t want you to be anywhere near us if we decided to go through with this,” Scott says seriously. “When Malia brought it up, she actually offered up Theo to do the job.”

Stiles chokes off a laugh. “And then Theo volunteered Derek as a joke, who readily agreed until I made it very clear that if he even attempted to go in as bait I – “

“Not the time nor place, dude,” Scott shushes him.

“You know, as comforting as that may sound to someone else,” Liam starts, keeping a distance from the two boys, trying not to let his emotions get the better of him at the knowledge that even Derek allowed this to happen, “knowing that you didn’t even give me a chance to say no really makes me question whether or not I have a say in anything that goes on in this pack. Consent is a thing, Scott, and I didn’t give mine. Do you know how awful that makes me feel?”

“Liam – “

“No, honestly,” Liam shushes him. “If something had gone differently, or if she didn’t just have a quick go at me, do you realize what could have happened?” The boys’ silence is more than enough. “Witches can bind werewolves to them – did you know that?”

“I didn’t know that,” Scott admits. “I just thought they could cast spells and whatnot.”

Liam scoffs, but nods nonetheless. “I found some information on it while I was searching through Deaton’s information.” He walks a bit further and adds, “It makes me think about the Dread Doctors and what they made Theo do for them – killing all of those people.”

Stiles slaps Scott’s arm. “But that’s different; Theo wanted to do those things.”

Liam growls a warning. “Do you really think 8-year-old Theo wanted that much blood on his hands? His own sister’s?”

“Well – “

“The answer is no, asshole,” Liam hisses.

Stiles raises his hands. “Look, Liam, we’re just trying to help you understand where we were coming from.”

Liam feels his hair rise on the back of his neck. He doesn’t think before he says it, which is probably for the best. He stops in his tracks and blurts, “So, you would’ve done this to Theo, to Derek?” he snarls, feeling more than seeing the moment when it makes sense to the both of them. “Next time you think about using me without my permission, think about what could have happened if she bound me to her and used me for her bidding.”

From a distance, Liam can hear the tell-tale sign of Theo whimpering. It’s the whimper he does when he knows he fucked up and everyone keeps bringing it up. It’s the kind of sound that makes Liam cringe, like his heart is breaking. It’s the sound that makes your insides turn to mush, the one parental instinct you have kicking in to go and comfort whatever sad animal is hurting.

Liam stops and sighs heavily. Scott and Stiles still flank him, and Liam can smell the anxiety and guilt wafting off of both of them. “Look,” he says slowly, turning around and crossing his arms over his chest. “I’m going to go back to the cabin and take Theo home, where I can finally get a fucking shower. Then, tomorrow, there will be a long pack meeting about consent and why it doesn’t just revolve around sex, alright?”

Scott drops his head and nods, glancing at Stiles, who stands there for a moment, still looking pale. When he finally catches up, he rolls his eyes and gives Liam his best nod. Liam scoffs and heads for the cabin, ignoring the bickering going on behind him.

Hours later, after Liam and Theo get home and take a long, hot shower – and eat a meal that’s not just fast food – Liam climbs the stairs with Theo in tow. As he ventures into their bedroom and begins pulling the bed sheets down, he notices Theo still standing in the doorway looking like a kicked puppy.

“I’m not mentally stable enough to have a conversation right now, so let’s go to bed,” Liam says. He strips out of his sweats and shimmies in on his side, tossing away his shirt as an afterthought. Liam waits for Theo’s footsteps, but they never come. “Theo,” he growls lowly.

“I’m sorry,” Theo finally whines, nervously shifting from one foot to the other. Liam rolls his eyes and pulls the sheets away from Theo’s side, patting the space there. It takes two more minutes of guilty pacing before Theo joins him, making himself stay as far away from Liam as he can without falling off the bed.

“Theo, I swear to god, if you don’t get the fuck over here and hold me, I’m really going to make you sleep outside.”

“I never meant – “

“Oh my god.”

“I even told them I wouldn’t go along – “

“Raeken. Cuddles. Now.”

Theo remains silent as he moves closer to Liam, slowly wrapping his arms around him and kissing the back of his neck softly. Liam makes a content sound in the back of his throat and settles in.

In the end, Liam get his cuddles, as well as a very lovely wake up the next morning with Theo’s lips trailing a line across his neck and a cup of coffee waiting for him downstairs. Theo apologizes profusely until Liam fears he might start crying, which then leads to him pushing Theo down across the arm of the couch and fucks him so hard the boy forgets what he was even apologizing for.

The apologies stop after that.

The pack makes it very clear that there will never be a move made without consent of each member. Liam spoke about how getting the yes and no isn’t just important during sexy times. It shouldn’t matter what the situation calls for – if there is any kind of chance that a person’s body or mind is being used without permission, it’s not okay.

After the meeting, Derek and Theo take Liam out for a run for a few hours. The two of them run in their full shift form, playing hunting games with Liam and zipping through the trees. Once they’ve all calmed down and shifted back, Derek drives them to a burger place in town, where the three of them stop to have a late lunch and a few beers. When their server offers some dessert options, Liam gags at the thought and swears off sugar for the foreseeable future.

Theo still kisses Liam a little harder every night, touches him more during the day, and spends time in his full shift form cuddles next to Liam, keeping him warm.

Oh, and Liam isn’t cold anymore.


End file.
